The present invention relates to an electrical connector apparatus and method and especially to an electrical connector for coupling to an insulated electrical conductor without stripping the end of the insulated electrical conductor.
In the past, a wide variety of electrical wire connectors have been provided for connecting to wire ends. In a typical connector, the end of the wire is stripped of insulation and the bare wire is inserted into a connector where it can be soldered or clamped to or otherwise attached to the connector. It is also common to coat or tin the ends of an electrical conductor, with the insulation stripped from the end thereof, with a thin coat of solder. A wide variety of connectors have also been provided which removably hold a wire end to a connector.
My prior U.S. Pat. No. 5,704,814 for an Electrical Connector provides an electrical connector for coupling to an insulated electrical conductor which includes an insulated housing having threaded bores with a tapered portion therein. An electrical conductive prong extends into the housing bore for receiving an insulated electrical conductor thereon. The compression collar is threadedly attached in the bore and has a bore extending axially therethrough for insertion of a wire into the housing bore and onto a pointed prong extending into the bore. The compression collar compresses into the tapered portion of the bore to grip the electrical conductor extending therethrough.
Prior wire connectors can be seen in the following U.S. Patents. The Chang patent, U.S. Pat. No. 4,013,333, is for a wire connector having two concentric sockets adapted to be assembled one into the other. The inner socket has a conductive needle mounted therein for sliding a wire end into each end of the connector. In the Danner, U.S. Pat. No. 3,860,320, a cathode cable assembly is connected to a ball-like cathode member by stripping the end portion of the cable and inserting the end portion into a sleeve which is pressed into an undersized tapered socket and which has a pointed pin therein. The Friedhelm, U.S. Pat. No. 4,786,760, has a cable connector for a piezoelectric cable having an insulated cable end which is inserted into a sleeve. In the Berman, U.S. Pat. No. 4,091,233, an electrical connector and a method of connecting an electrical cable to the connector is provided for connecting one or more insulated electrical cords or cables together. The insulated cable ends can be inserted into the receptacles on either end and onto a prong of electrically conductive material so that the prong is an electrical contact with the wire of an insulated cord end. A container of adhesive material on the end of the receptacle is released from the container to create a physical bond between the cord and the connector to hold the cord within the connector. In my prior U.S. Pat. No. 5,403,201 an electrical connector is coupled to an insulated electrical conductor without stripping the end of the insulated conductor. The insulated wire is held with a spring clamp which allows the wire to be released.
The Komada U.S. Pat. No. 4,374,458 is for a method of connecting a co-axial cable to a connector having a plurality of connections. The Herrington U.S. Pat. No. 916,313 is for a spark plug having a spark plug wire connector on the end thereof. The Despard U.S. Pat. No. 3,097,035 is for another electric cable connector for use between sections of flexible multi-conductor cable as used with portable electric power consuming equipment and a fixed power outlet. The Polidori U.S. Pat. No. 3,633,147 has a connector for underground utility applications.
The Gutter et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,739,126, is for a panel mount ground termination apparatus for terminating the outer shielding conductor of an electrical cable. A cable is passed through a closure member and through a compression member and through a termination member and into the housing to compress a plurality of prongs into the cable. The Horak U.S. Pat. No. 3,744,007, is for a three-piece coaxial cable connector as is the Brush, Jr. et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,561,179, for a method for electrical connection to the center conductor of an insulated wire. The Song U.S. Pat. No. 4,759,722 is for a plug for coaxial cables while the Gaver, Jr. et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,066,248 is for a manually installable coaxial cable connector. The Bielak U.S. Pat. No. 5,362,251 is for a solderless coaxial connector plug while the Wright U.S. Pat. No. 5,607,320 is for a cable clamp apparatus.
The present invention is for an electrical connector and a method of coupling an insulated electrical conductor to the electrical connector by threading the electrical conductor through a fastening cap and through a collar driving member and then through an electrical conductor gripping collar and into the connector housing bore and onto an electrical conductive prong. The electrical connector allows the rapid connection of a plurality of conductors to a corresponding plurality of conductive prongs.